Dulcetina



(No Model.)

G. 0. MARSTERS. DULGETINA..

Patented Sept. 24, 1889..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE G. MARSTERS, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

DU LCETINA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,554, datedSeptember 24, 1889.

Application filed February 16, 1889- Serial No. 300,122. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE CJMARSTERS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, intheState of New York, have invented a new and useful Dulcetina, of whichthe following is a description.

The invention relates to that class of musical instruments whichconsist, essentially, of a head, a neck or handle, a body, and a seriesof strings which are stretched lengthwise along the instrumentfrom thehead, over the neck, and partially orentirely across the body, thestrings being operated by direct contact of the hands of the musician.

The invention consists in certain novel parts and in certain novelcombinations of parts in or in connection with the head of theinstrument, whereby the strength of the same is increased, and wherebythe sweetness and purity of its tone are greatly enhanced.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of theinstrument or of so much thereof as is necessary to illustrate theinvention, portions being broken out of the sounding-board to show theinterior construction. Fig. .3 is a fragmentary vertical transversesection on the line 20 w in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partial verticallongitudinal section on the line a: .r of Fig. i.

The head of the instrument A may be of any approved construction, andthe neck N terminates at the body, as is seen in Fig. 1.

The body A consists of the insular wall or hoop a, the flat bottom a,the flat top or sounding-board a and the necessary strengthening-braces,run ning-buttress, and collar, all these parts being composed of woodand secured together by glue or other well-known means, as may bepreferred. The sounding board a has a sound-opening o, of suitabledimensions, beginning at a distance from the base of the neck, equal toabout one-fifth the diameter of the board, as experience has shown to beproductive of advantageous practical results.

At a point preferably about midway between the inner extremity of thesound-opening and the outer edge of the sounding-board .a small opening1), preferably rectangular in form,as shown, is provided in the body ofthe board, and upon or within this opening is placed the bridge-supportor carrier C, which, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 2.3, is composed of anopen or frame-like rectangular base 0, a cap a, corresponding in formand dimensions to the base 0, such base and cap plates being composed ofwood, and an intermediate imperforatc diaphragm or support proper cwhich is composed of parchment or equivalent thin leathery or membranousmaterial, the three parts being secured together by means of glue, andthe supportas a whole being by preference fitted upon and secured to thetop surface of the sounding-board, although, as is obvious, it might, byslight modifications in construction, be fitted within its opening I).

The bridge I), of ordinary construction, rests directly upon theslightly-flexible parchment-like support 0 and receives the strings 1 23 4 5, which extend from the tail-piece t across the body and along theneck to the head of the instrument.

It has been found that an instrument constructed in the manner thusdescribed has great resonance and remarkable sweetness and purity oftone.

llaving described my invention, I claim- 1. In a stringed musicalinstrument, a top or sounding -board, which is composed of wood, whichhas a sound-opening, and which has also an opening which is closed by aparchmerit-like bridge-support, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

2. A stringed musical instrument in which the body is circular, in whichthe soundingboard is composed of wood, and in which the bridge restsupon a support which is composed of parchment.

I The combination, with the neck N, of the body A, embracing theimpcrforate circular wall or hoop u, flat impcrforatc bottom a, andsounding-board (1 the hoop, the bottom, and the sounding-board beingcomposed of wood,and the sounding-board being provided with asound-opening and with a parchmentsupported bridge.

GEORGE C. MARSTERS.

W t nesses:

F. b. RICHARDSON, C. ll. BENEDICT.

i i i It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 411,554, grantedSeptember 24, 1889, upon the application of George C. Marsters, ofBrooklyn, N. Y., for an improvement in Dulcetinas, an error appears inthe printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 34,page 1, the Word in'sular should read circular; and that the LettersPatent should be read with this correction therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofliee.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 8th day of October, A. D. 1889.

CYRUS BUSSEY, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Acting Commissioner of Patents.

